Freedom!

Created this for my niece Corlin's room.

I am enjoying my new found freedom with my creations lately. Now that I'm not stressed to keep up a shop it seems to have unleashed some more passion for creating! This is what I've done in the last few days. If you see something you like and would like to purchase it just holla! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!! Merry Christmas from me!

This was my 3rd attempt at an image transfer on this canvas. It finally came out so I finished it! Below is a detail of the bottom.

This is what I've been doing lately, exploring!!
Still need to add a few details to this but it's pretty much done.

Priority changes = BIG SALES for you!

I am offering 40% OFF everything in my ArtFire and Etsy shop, even sales items. I just want it gone and need to start fresh! 40% OFF until it's all gone!

Below is a little blurb. If you'd like to read more about why I'm doing this you can visit my new blog: Lo Mama Adventures. Thank you!

Starting today I am going to only create art for Bad Girls Project 52 (I'm on the design team for a year) and create art for fun and with Lorelei. If I sell a piece of art because someone likes it, then great! I'm not going to mass promote it on Twitter, here and Facebook it's such a waste of time and takes up too much of my time with little or no response. Life is too short to live it online trying to make your life grand. Yeah there are critics who will say you need something for you, you need a hobby. Yes that's right but I have a responsibility to my girl and there is always time for hobbies in the future. I'm not quitting all together I'm just changing my focus. I feel like there will be a blessing for her and for me in this. She needs me and I need her. I'm going to start exploring hobbies with her and nurturing her the way I should be. Just typing this is freeing and I know I'm making the right decision. Follow us on this journey if you like. This blog is where I'm going to post our grand adventures and times together. Her and I. Because of that I need less online activities to maintain. Life is too short people!! I hope you understand!

Bad Girls Project 52 Challenge #5 - ATC's

Hello all you Bad Girls!

Some of you may not know what an ATC is so here is some useful info for you! Taken straight from Wikipedia:

Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards,^[1] or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches (6cm X 9cm),^[2] small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.^[3] The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.^[4] Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc). The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold. To view more of the article, click here.

I have my own collection of ATC's I've been adding to for years. Some are framed and others are in an album. These are sooo fun and so addicting.

Art Tip: You know all those little bits of scraps and papers I told you to hang on to? Well they are perfect for little art pieces!! I save everything and use them in my ATC's.

Another cool tip is that your standard card from a card deck is the right size as well. Take an old card deck and glue your art right on top, paint on top or collage on top. I used to buy old decks from the antique shop for this purpose. Make sure they are the right size though.

OK onto my photos of this project! I chose the "Life" theme.

All 4!

"Life is Love"

"Life is Friends"

"Life is Mysterious"

"Life is Funny"

What I did on the backs of the cards.

Challenge #5 supply list

1. Strathmore ATC Canvas Paper - precut so it makes it easy
2. Scrapbooking paper of choice
3. Vintage image downloads - I purchased mine from French Kissed.
4. Tattered Angels Glimmer Glass "Regal" in Creme de Rouge -(transparency) purchased from Wendy Rago's shoppe
5. Gold Pearl Ex Powder
6. Q-Tip for applying the Pearl Ex
7. Scotch Craft Stick (glue)
8. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in "Peeled Paint" - green
9. Golden Fluid Acrylics, "Quinacridone Crimson"
10. General's Sketch & Wash Pencil - a must!
11. Peach colored pencil
12. Cricut Personal Cutter - not a must have but I used this to create the different shapes with the paper

Tutorial:

These are really easy to create and make great gifts for people. The only rule in making ATC's is to make sure you have them the correct size at 2.5" x 3.5" and the rest is up to your creativity. I really had a hard time with this project which is so ironic. I was over thinking them and sometimes the most simplest design is the best! I chose the "Life" theme and wanted to show various aspects of life. "Life is Friends", "Life is Love", "Life is Funny" & "Life is Mysterious". When I knew what I was looking for I went on a hunt for the perfect vintage photos for this project. I found them and they just came together! First I took my ATC paper and applied a thin layer of acrylic paint with my fingers, next I cut the various shapes using my Cricut Cutter that I wanted in the scrapbook paper. Glued them down the way I wanted them, trimmed the images to fit the way I wanted, glued them and found my transparencies that I thought fit and glued them. Next I applied the Pearl Ex with the Q-Tip to add some glimmer I chose gold. I traced the main image with the Sketch & Wash Pencil to make it stand out, I also traced the flower, heart and other paper. I then colored in the cheeks on the images to make them rosy with the colored pencil. Last but not least I went around the edges with the Tim Holtz Distress ink to frame the images. To finish off the ATC's I added another piece of paper to the back to make it more stiff as well as to add color. I cut out another shape and titled, signed and dated each one. Have fun with this and happy ATC trading, they really are little treasures!

OFFICIAL RULES

The winner of this challenge will receive a $20 Gift Card to shop like a Bad Girl in the Bad Girl Shoppe! Be sure to leave a blog comment here first!

Three Rules to Follow:

1. Follow the challenge guidelines exactly
2. Post your project in the specific "Project 52" gallery with the title "Challenge #5 ATC's" before December 19 Midnight Pacific Time (see time converter)
3. Link your layout to the Challenge #5 Thread in the Project 52 forum
   

Challenge 5 – ATCs (4 minimum, series/not, traditional size, foldable extensions)

• Theme – Life &/or Death (funky and dark, light and bright, etc…)
• Required material – Transparencies (part/whole, printed/painted/inked, etc…)

Till next time!

Aimée

Christmas is coming and so are the sales!!!

christmas lights, originally uploaded by matt-pearson.

I've cleaned up the inventory in my shops, marked some things down, added back some items and have decided to have a BIG sale! I want and NEED to get rid of the art that I have in stock, I'm running out of room to store new art. So I'm on an art break until I can make more room. Seriously I'm bursting at the seams!!! Sooooo here are my offers to you from now until Dec. 18th:

From now until Dec. 18th - BUY 2 GET ONE FREE ON ALL PRINTS!

I will refund the third print via Paypal. Also FREE shipping on the 3rd print which will also be refunded via Paypal. Most prints have been marked down from $15 to $10, need to freshen up the shop. May never print these again once they're gone.

***BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY***

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORIGINALS!!
Black Friday - Cyber Monday only. Shipping will be refunded via Paypal.

Please take advantage of this sale, I need the room!!!! :) I think I have lots of great original gifts for your loved ones and hope you agree too! HAPPY SHOPPING!

Etsy

ArtFire

OK I'm putting this out there!!!

I'm overweight! According to the Wii I'm OBESE! YIKES! What a horrible word! I've never been called that before! How rude! Well it was rude enough to get me to act on it! With all the sickness going on in the world right now I've decided to quit my gym membership and not bring my daughter into the germfest that is the gym and bought myself a Wii! I am going to work out at home for at least 30 minutes a day using my Wii and various fitness games on the Wii. I will do more than 30 if time and toddler allows but I am saying this right here and now that I am going to commit to 30 minutes a day! I NEED to lose this baby weight - she's going to be 3 (how ridiculous!) and I need to feel good about myself again! Want to join me??? I've started a group on Facebook and will be logging in daily to keep up with it. I need others to help keep me motivated and I'm sure you need it too. Along with working out I am doing the Low Carb diet and cutting out sugars and white flowers as much as possible. If this sounds good and fun to you please join me!!! I'm having so much fun with the Wii it doesn't even feel like working out but I am breaking a sweat!

Some great workout games on the Wii are:

Wii Fit with the balance board,
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum
EA Active

and I'm sure there is more.

So join me your OBESE friend and let's get rid of this weight!!!

Bad Girls Project 52, Challenge #3 Reveal!

The "Me" Box - I had to keep this project simple because I was on vacation and didn't have a lot of time to complete it. I wanted a piece that had little elements about me inside so it's really like a treasure box. The theme I chose to do about me was my love for Fall, Fall elements and it all just came together with that in mind.

This is me circa 1975 or 1976. I was a Fall baby! To this day Fall is my favorite season, especially in the Northeast. Fast forward many many years and you see my little mini-me Lorelei enjoying the leaves like I did around the same age!

Just taken last week in our front yard! My muse, my life, my Lorelei!

My "Me" Box (book)

My Nana's old amber pendant (I chose elements with meaning)

I carried on the Fall theme with the copper skeleton leaves

I have boxes of found objects so it was hard to choose items to use
which is why I chose Fall-like elements.

My favorite part are the buttons!

I have some comedic elements as well like "I grew up with fake legs in my house", my dad was a prosthetist orthotist and made fake arms and legs! LOL No joke!

My keepsakes which I'm sure I'll add to over the years.

My jeweled box to keep my precious elements.

Something I strive for is to always learn, create & grow.

My process:

I started out by gessoing the paper mache blank inside and out and then rubbed on various colors of distress ink. I picked a photo of me and framed it in fall ribbon. I knew I wanted to do a Fall theme because I LOVE Fall and I was born in the fall. Once I had the theme it just pulled itself together. I cut off the back of a vintage book cover and glued it on the base. I also distressed and gessoed that a bit as well. I then glued on my photo, canvas stickers, leaves, door plate and buttons. Let the glue dry overnight to make sure everything is secure. I then traced the elements with my sketch and wash pencil to bring them out a bit more. Next I glued the smaller paper mache box inside in the center. I stamped a leaf stamp with Brown Staz On Ink. I cut out a place in the top of the box to embed the green leaf pendant and secured that with glue and gold paper on the back of that. I distressed the smaller box as well. Then found my elements that meant a lot to me, created tags and attached them with white string. I chose items that were all about me, part of me and that meant a lot to me. Last but not least I glued on the skeleton leaves around the edge, glued on the pearls, glued on the large ribbon and attached an old amber pendant that was my Nana's to the bottom of the ribbon with copper wire and voila that is my treasure box!

Supplies: Paper Mache Blank (I chose a book shaped box); smaller paper mache box for the inside; found items (door plate, vintage book cover, items for inside); string; paper; vintage buttons; e6000 glue; ribbon; Christmas Tree Ornament (copper leaves that I tore apart); Copper skeleton leaves; copper wire; pencil; old earring or pendant for ribbon ornament; Ranger Distress Ink in purple, green and brown; Gesso; Tacky glue; photo printout; Gold Pearl Ex; Pitt Pens various colors; Generals Sketch & Wash pencil; freshwater pearls; white string; little tags I hand punched; tag punch;
jewelry pendant for inside box; scrapbook paper; canvas stickers; Brown Staz On Ink; Leaf Stamp

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Are you bad--- enough? You'll be asked to reach out of your box once again, as well as look deep inside!!!! One lucky random drawing winner for Challenge #3 will receive a $20 Gift Card to shop like a Bad Girl in the cherished Bad Girls Boutique! (We have decided to rotate prizes.) Sound intriguing? We give you the rules below- just 6 steps!

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!

*Challenge 3 – Paper Mache Blank (any shape or subject, usually craft store item)

• Theme – Self-Portrait (about you, present/past/future, serious or fun, etc…)
• Required material – Found Objects (junk drawer stuff related to theme/story)

SIX RULES TO FOLLOW
TO WIN $20 GIFT CARD TO BAD GIRLS BOUTIQUE:

1. You must leave a comment here on this blog post with one word that describes YOU

2. You must incorporate a paper mache (papier-mâché) form (any shape or subject) in your project that is pre-made or that you make (allow overnight dry time between layers)

3. You must use the theme Self-Portrait (about you, present/past/future, serious or fun, etc…)

4. You must use Found Objects/Junk Drawer Stuff related to theme/story(such as trinkets/baubles/pieces/charms/hardware you find/collect or purchase at scrap/stamp stores, flea markets, etsy, antique, etc.)

5. Upload Your One Photo, yes, ONE Photo, of Your Project to Our Project 52 Gallery by November 21, Midnight Pacific Time (time zone converter) If you have additional photos, link to them in the description from either your blog or from photobucket.com

6. FINAL RULE: You must post a link to your project in the gallery before November 21st Midnight to our Challenge #3 thread in the forum - don't forget to do this!

New Traditions

Hello Blogland!

Sorry I've been MIA for the last few weeks. It's been a whirlwind! I had a friend visiting for a week at the beginning of the month then a few days after that we were in FL for 10 days!! I haven't really created much lately. I wanted you to know that I hope to get back into the swing of things soon! I did manage to create a little piece while down in Florida. Actually the highlight of my trip was creating art with my beautiful sisters-in-law Jenny & Jessica. We have started a new tradition! We raided the local Michael's and grabbed some paint, canvases and extra goodies and went to town!! I was so shocked and amazed at how fast their art came together. I brought a few of my mixed media tools with me and showed them some techniques and they were off and running with it!! Here are the pieces we created! It was so fun!!

Jenny is going to be doing a triptych this is the middle piece.

Jessica created this all with her fingers! She used a quote from
Sir Francis Bacon,

“It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.”

my little piece

I will be revealing my 3rd challenge piece for Project 52 in a few days!! Get ready for that!! :) Now off to do a bit of raking with my sweet little munchkin!!

Happy Fall Y'all!